Modern plastics are ubiquitous materials in our daily lives, from disposable packaging to durable building materials.

Their high performance, combined with our ability for tailoring the physical characteristics to match any imaginable function, has made them some of the most successful advances over the last century. Globally, over 350 million metric tons of plastics are produced every year, highlighting their immense economic importance in almost every sector, from food preservation, car manufacturing, and medical devices, to agriculture, construction, sports and entertainment.

Yet, the landfilling and continuous mismanagement of plastic waste pose a major risk to the environment, as very few plastics are effectively recycled nor designed for biodegradation. Moreover, the plastic industry is an important contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly during their production and final incineration. Current business-as-usual scenarios paint a looming future of depleting resources and highly polluted lands and oceans.

Instead, a rethink of the plastic economy is needed from inception to disposal. In this evening of scientific discussion, we will analyse various aspects of the progress, the actions, the solutions, as well as the challenges, to make plastic materials more circular and sustainable. A panel of experts will aim to educate and inspire the audience in different facets of the plastics lifecycle, and how these elements relate to their own research endeavours. Our panellists include Prof. Richard Bailey (Environmental Scientist at University of Oxford, UK), Dr. Eva van der Marel (International Law Scholar at University of Oxford, UK), Prof. Eva Blasco (Material Scientist at the University of Heidelberg, Germany), and Prof. Marta E.G. Mosquera (Chemist at University of Alcala, Spain). These presentations will be followed by an open roundtable and Q&A session where the public will be encouraged to expose their questions to the speakers in a conversational setting.

This event is co-hosted by the Society of Spanish Researchers in the United Kingdom.

REGISTRATION

This talk will be in person only.

To register for this event, click here